An Ending

           This semester is coming to an end and for my last blog entry, I am assigned to reflect upon my experience. My professor told us to answer three different questions for our final blog. How has my perspective changed of nature, and how do I fit in with nature? What have I learned about writing in general? And lastly, what is my view on blogging?

            

            First, I have to say that my perspective of nature has not really changed. I have always viewed nature as being a beautiful and wonderful thing in which I live. Nature has always captivated and enchanted me and that has not changed, nor will I think that view will ever change. Even though my perspective of nature has not changed, I do believe my place in nature has been altered a little. I never used to think about what my role in nature is, and now, I find myself appreciating nature a bit more. After learning about plastic bottles, I have not bought one since. I also find myself buying locally when before, I had never given much thought to how I got my food or where I bought it from. This class and everything it has taught me has made me aware of my actions in nature.

            

           Throughout this course, I do believe my writing has improved. I had an assignment of writing a poetry analysis. This was only the second time writing about poetry and I do believe that I improved since my last one. I also gained knowledge about the difference of nature writing versus environmental writing. In my opinion, nature writing has more appeal because it makes nature romantic in a way that environmental writing does not. I hope to keep writing about nature and the wonders and beauties of it.

           

           Lastly, I think this blogging assignment was interesting. This was the first time I have ever blogged, and I have to say that I actually enjoyed it. I can see myself keeping up with blogging when I find time to write. Finding time to write is not always easy, though. The most interesting and fun part about blogging for me was creating imagery. I love when I get a picture in my head and then I write down what I’m seeing. It’s a challenge trying to get my readers to see the image that I see through my explanatory words. Overall, I enjoyed this blogging experience and hope to find time in the future to continue writing. 

Nature Purification

     On November 21, 2015, I awoke to a new and uncertain brightness outside my window. Once I let my eyes adjust to the sight out my window, I realized that everything was covered in snow. Hamilton had its first snowfall, and it was beautiful!
      This snow was the type of snow that acts as a blanket for the surrounding nature; everything was covered in snow. Each branch on the tree out my window was completely covered in white. Even a bush, that still had leaves clinging to the branches, was drooping with the weight of the snow. I climbed out of bed, made a pot of coffee, took my steaming mug and went to sit down in front of a large window in my living room. I covered myself in a blanket and allowed myself a quiet morning of observing the beauties of nature.

Snow Covered Trees Outside of My House

     I noticed the stillness and the quietness. It seemed as though everything was still asleep and cozy under this blanket of snow. I was enjoying this peacefulness when a movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. A bird had just flew up into a snow-covered tree. To me, this bird looked like a lone survivor of the outside world. There it was, sitting all alone on a tree, calling out and nothing else heard it; nothing else joined it. Eventually, it took flight away from the tree and the stillness was restored. I sat wondering whether that bird would find its mate and whether it would be reconnected with its kind; I certainly hope so.
      As I sat looking out my window, I began to reflect on the symbol that snow has. In many cases, winter symbolizes death because most green, living things shrivel up and die for the season. This outlook is very melancholy. I would rather see snow as being a new beginning. Everything out my window was covered in snow and, to me, it acted as a purifying object. The snow was washing away everything from the previous year, and when the snow eventually melts, life will be renewed. Things need to die in order for rebirth to occur. I would much rather think of the life to come then the death that is happening.
     The blanket of snow out my window was beautiful because this snow acted as a purifying object for rebirth to be able to happen in the spring. Every season is beautiful, including winter, and I was incredibly joyful to be able to witness the first snow of the season.

My Dog Remi Enjoying the First Snow

Spring into Writing

      My environmental literature class hosted a guest speaker on October 26, 2015. Tom Springer, the author of Looking for Hickories, is an amazing environmental and nature writer and he so graciously visited our class to talk about writing.

      One thing Springer talked about was what he called essay building blocks. The first building block is personal experience. A writer needs to have a personal experience that they feel passionate about so his/her writing is enhanced with emotions. A good writer has many personal experiences worth writing about. The second building block that Springer described is having expert information. Once a writer describes a personal experience, then it is time for the author to do some research on what he/she wrote about. Adding expert information to personal experiences adds more context to a piece of writing. The last building block is having wisdom synthesis. Springer describes this as helping readers view your side of the argument by pulling the other two building blocks together. The wisdom synthesis brings everything together and sums everything up. If a person wants to be a great writer, these building blocks are essential to add into writing.

Tom Springer's book Looking for Hickories

 

      Springer also talked about other aspects of good writing. One thing he said to the class that interested me was to “look at the wonder of things”. He was speaking about the wonder of nature. How often do people have their noses glued to their cell phone or other electronic devices? Springer suggested that people need to look up and observe the wonders of nature that we are enveloped in each and every day. This will allow writers to have new personal experiences in nature to write about. Springer does an amazing job of turning the ordinary into extraordinary in his book Looking for Hickories. He is able to do this because he observes the wonders of nature and creates a personal experience to go along with it.

      Springer also told us to find a “story beneath a story.” Many stories usually have stories beneath that goes along with the original story. Writers need to look beneath the surface of something in order to write about a different perspective that is interesting and still valuable. In order to be a great and unique writer that goes outside the original boundaries, writers need to look at something and see something more in which they can expand on. This is one particular region in which I struggle in. I do not look beneath the surface of objects or ideas, but I know that in order to be a great writer, instead of a good writer, I need to look deeper into things

      Tom Springer is an amazing writer and I was very blessed to have listened to him speak to us about writing. His advices about the essay writing blocks, looking at the wonder of things in nature, and finding a story within a story were all great pieces of advice that I hope to incorporate into my writing.